Yesterday, I reported about people watching at the airport and got many wonderful comments. Now, let's take this a step further. Let's move it from the entertainment or "passing time" stage to the professional education phase.
As we watch people in public - at the airport, shopping mall, ballgame, fast food court, or any forum where several people are gathered - let's turn it into a sales rehearsal opportunity.
This requires no interaction. We are strictly spectators - unless we return a smile or "hello" that is offered. Otherwise, we are purely observers and students.
We should focus on just one person at a time. Watch their gestures, posture, body movements. Observe their temperament. Look for any emotional displays or state of mind. If we get verbal clues, that's fine, but primarily focus on the non-verbal signs that can be observed.
Then we take what we are observing and determine how we might want to work with such a customer if we were face-to-face with them in our sales center.
What verbal clues did we notice or look for that gave us an indication of how we might want to open the conversation or proceed? Did we get any verbal clues? Were there conflicting clues? What did we learn?
By practicing and rehearsing scenarios with people when there is absolutely nothing at stake and nothing to be verbalized, we can practice, tweak, revise, and hone an approach for working with people that we feel are similar to the ones we have observed.
Then time permitting, we move onto a second person, and a third.
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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, sales tips, insights, or strategies, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or my other blog homesalesinsights.com. © Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.
